


living our forever, together

by lavenderlotion



Category: Glee
Genre: Age Difference, Declarations Of Love, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Flirting, Kissing, Light Angst, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Wedding Fluff, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-28
Updated: 2020-10-17
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:41:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,721
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24423679
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lavenderlotion/pseuds/lavenderlotion
Summary: Walter chuckled, but his eyes were just as wet. “I want to spend forever with you.”
Relationships: Kurt Hummel/Walter (Glee)
Comments: 16
Kudos: 58





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Saw a photo of Kurt in his elf costume and... this happened???

Kurt felt a smile cross his face as he found Walter on their bed with Kurt’s laptop open on the end table. Even from the door to their bedroom, he could see exactly what was on the screen, and he bit into his bottom lip to keep down a laugh. That... had been one of the worst jobs of his entire life (and that wasn’t even  _ mentioning _ the uniform Walter was currently staring at) but he still looked back at the time fondly, if only because it made a great story to tell at holiday parties. 

He couldn’t see Walter’s expression from where he was leaning against their door frame, but he  _ could _ see the tense line of his shoulders and the way he was slightly curled forward. After nearly a year together and several months living together, Kurt knew how to read his boyfriend. Getting Walter comfortable in his sexuality and his urges was a long process, but Kurt would always be there to help him through it. Being as quiet as possible, Kurt slowly made his way through their bedroom on soft feet before he carefully placed a knee on the mattress, and then he pounced. 

“Gah!” Walter screeched, throwing his arms out and jolting back onto the bed and straight into Kurt’s waiting embrace. 

Kurt, laughing, moved forward until he had Walter wrapped up in a hug, kneeling behind him on the bed with his arms draped over his shoulders. He patted Walter’s belly as he grumbled under his breath, digging his chin into his collar and pressing their cheeks together with an innocent smile as he asked, “What are you looking at, sweetie?”

“N-Nothing,” Walter stuttered, swallowing thickly. Kurt hummed and held him silently, rubbing his stomach snuggling up behind him. Walter hadn’t shaved that morning; the stubble along his face caught on Kurt’s jaw as he rubbed their cheeks together sweetly, angling his head to the side to place a kiss on the corner of his mouth. 

Despite Walter’s protest, they could both still see the computer screen, light up with an image of Kurt posed at Santa Land. 

“You know, I still have that elf suit...” Kurt whispered against Walter’s ear, laughing when the older man groaned and dropped his head back to rest on Kurt’s shoulder. Kurt flicked his tongue out against the lobe of his ear, blowing on the damp skin and feeling Walter shiver. “How about I go see if I can find that, and you get together a little Santa costume, hmm?”

Walter nodded, his stubble scraping against Kurt’s lips as he pressed a gentle kiss to the hinge of his jaw. Kurt patted his stomach again, drew his hands up his chest, then squeezed his shoulders before he pressed a kiss to the crown of Walter’s definitely-not-balding head before he went searching. 

* * *

By the time Kurt found his elf costume—tucked away at the very bottom of a wardrobe chest in their spare bedroom which sat underneath a set of sheets and two extra pillows—nearly an hour had passed since he left Walter to search. His back was a little sore from being bent over for the better part of half an hour and sweat was clinging to the nape of his neck. All told, he absolutely did  _ not _ feel like squeezing himself into an unknown polyester blend and what amounted to short-shorts, let alone the rest of the outfit. 

Taking a deep breath, Kurt straightened out and popped his back, stretching his arms up and reaching to the sky in a long pull that left him feeling pleasantly loose. He bunched the outfit up in his hands and tossed it onto the futon they kept for guests, before he shuffled out of the room in search of a drink. 

What he found when he stepped into their living space, however, was absolutely not what he’d been expecting. Walter was on the couch in the same soft sweater he’d been wearing earlier, bent over with his elbows on his knees and his head hanging lowly, a defeated line to his shoulders that caused worry to bubble up Kurt’s throat. 

“Honey?” he called, taking a step forward when Walter didn’t so much as shift. 

Kurt walked towards the couch slowly, taking a seat on the cushion next to Walter with care. Kurt kept his legs pressed together and sat at the end of the couch, angling his torso towards Walter seeing as he still hadn’t looked up. His head was cradled in his hands, fingers tangled in his hair. With the way he was sitting, Kurt couldn’t see his face. It didn’t do anything to dispel his worry. 

“Walt?” he tried again, reaching out and placing a hand on the man’s thigh, squeezing in what he could only hope was a comforting manner. 

Walter shook his head, which certainly didn’t do anything to make Kurt feel better. He thought back over their Sunday and had to wonder if something had gone wrong. 

“Oh God, are your children okay?” Kurt asked worriedly, fear lacing his voice as he tried to duck to get a look at Walter’s face. 

Walter nodded,  _ thank goodness, _ and finally tilted his head to spare Kurt a quick glance. “Everyone’s fine, love.”

Kurt nodded as he let out a deep breath, hand compulsively squeezing around Walter’s thigh self-soothingly. “That’s good,” Kurt told him, tracing the lines of Walter’s profile with worried eyes. “What... would you like to talk about what’s bothering you?”

Walter made a noise somewhere between a laugh and a sob, and he finally moved to lean against the back of the couch with a heavy sigh. His hand covered Kurt’s, so Kurt went from squeezing Walter’s thigh to lacing their fingers together. “Not particularly,” Walter told him quietly, heavily, as he squeezed Kurt’s hand back. 

As Kurt took in the heavy expression on his face, he couldn’t help but think that Walter looked... well, that he looked  _ old.  _ Weary and worn down, with none of the usual light that shone in his eyes. One of the things they attracted Kurt so strongly to Walter was the brightness in his eyes and the endless wonder with which he navigated the world. It was always so incredible for Kurt who, at many points during his life, had felt like hope had been too heavy to grasp. 

Only now, none of the usual wonder Walter walked around with was showing on his face. 

“No matter what it is,” Kurt began, swallowing heavily and imagining all of the heartbreaking things Walter could be preparing to tell him, pushing that away and focusing on just how much he loved the man before him as he assured, “you can tell me. You can tell me anything.”

Walter nodded and tried for a smile that fell flat. The lines of age that etched across his face seemed deeper than they usually did. Kurt squeezed his hand and shifted a little closer, watching Walter watch him.

“I... Kurt, I know we haven’t talked about it but—” Walter trailed off, something in his voice that Kurt didn’t like. He squeezed his hand and shifted closer still, pressing his knee against Walter’s thigh as he examined the frown marring his boyfriend’s face. If this was the end... God, Kurt didn’t even know what he would do. “We don’t have that long left together.”

“W-What do you mean?” Kurt’s voice shook through his question and his head tilted to the side in forced-confusion. Something heavy and fearful settled in his chest, and he swallowed thickly before he asked, “Are you... breaking up with me?”

Walter shifted to face him head-on with surprise colouring his expression. He reached out with his free hand and clasped it around Kurt’s, cradling Kurt’s hand between both of his own. “Darling,  _ no,”  _ Walter told him firmly, his voice sure and steady, the skin around his eyes crinkled with the heavy way he was looking back at Kurt. “No, Kurt, that is absolutely not what I mean.”

Walter took a deep breath, but he didn’t say anything else. Instead, his head dropped back between his shoulders, like it was too heavy for him to hold. Kurt ran his thumb along Walter’s index finger, trying to soothe even if he wasn’t quite sure what to say. Something was bothering his lover and as thankful that he was that it wasn’t what Kurt had feared, he still wanted to help. 

“I’ve just,” Walter let out a deep breath, and it seemed to sink his shoulders. “I’ve been thinking a lot, lately, about our ages. Not like that,” Walter added, when he caught the twist of Kurt’s lips, “not like I had when we first got together. I... I’ve realized, recently, that I don’t have as many years left with you as I want.”

Kurt took a shuddering breath as he lost himself in the endless warmth of Walter’s eyes, tracing the flecks of gold that lined his iris and feeling like his heart was too heavy for his chest. He smiled a weak, brittle thing as he swallowed down a lump, heart racing against his ribs.

“I... I know,” Kurt told him quietly, feeling his eyes start to burn with a weak smile. “Walter,  _ I know. _ I know how short life can be, trust me on that one.”

Walter’s expression went apologetic, and he quickly said, “I didn’t mean—”

“I know that,” Kurt said, bringing their hands up to his mouth and kissing over Walter’s interlaced knuckles. “I know, but I also know just how fleeting life is. And I know that I love you, far more than I’d ever imagined when I saw that first night.”

Walter chuckled, but his eyes were just as wet. “I want to spend forever with you.”

Kurt kissed his knuckles again and felt a tear slip from his eyes. “We already are. It already feels like forever, Walt. Every second I get to spend loving you feels  _ infinite _ and I...” Kurt trailed off, bowing his head and forcing a lump out of his throat as he expressed something he’d never said out loud, something that kept him lying awake at night and terrified for his future. “One day I’m going to lose you. And that... it’s not going to be okay, but I’m going to have an entire  _ forever _ worth of the lovely memories we’ve built and I’ll be able to look back on the wonderful life we’ve lived and,” Kurt’s voice broke, and he leaned forward to rest his forehead on Walter’s shoulder as their hands dropped back into Kurt’s lap. “It’s not going to be okay. But we’re living our forever together right now.”

“Kurt?” Walter said softly, and when he raised his head Walter met him for a sweet, loving kiss that took Kurt’s breath away. 

The slide of their lips was so familiar, and Kurt happily lost himself in the sensation of kissing the man he loved. Everything he’d said was true—one day it was just going to be him, but Kurt was  _ always _ going to remember the ballooning feeling of love that pushed away everything else as Walter kissed him. Slowly their kisses trailed off into lingering pecks, and then it was just them, sitting together quietly with their foreheads pressed together and sharing air.

“I love you,” Walter told him seriously, pressing the words against Kurt’s lips and then moving back to catch his eyes. “I love you so much, Kurt Hummel.”

“I love you too, Walter Hummel,” Kurt whispered, holding eye contact even as Walter’s own widened in surprise and a sweet little smile fell over his face. 

“Walter Hummel, hmm?” he asked, grip going iron-tight around Kurt’s hand as his smile grew and grew until it was stretched across his entire face and crinkling the skin around his eyes. Kurt was smiling back at him, just as wide. 

“Well, I figure you’ve already given away your last name once...” Kurt teased, feeling like his heart was filling and filling and filling inside his chest, wondering how big it could grow before it burst open with the overwhelming amount of love it held for the gorgeous, wonderful man before him. 

“My God, how did I ever get so lucky?” Walter asked, and Kurt was about to answer something cheeky when Walter kissed him and said, “I’d be honoured to marry you.”

Kurt laughed wetly, completely breathless, and knew that this was going to be one of the memories from their forever that he’d always cherish close. 

  
  



	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> for the tumblr prompts:   
> _""You are the best part of me"  
>  Kiss accompanied by happy tears  
> My love"_

In the end, it was a small ceremony. 

Kurt grew up wanting it all, planning out wedding after wedding in his basement bedroom back in Ohio. He’d planned weddings down to the smallest of details; he could tell you what type of wood he’d want the chairs made of, so they’d look delicate but still be strong. He’d lie in bed and think up different colour schemes and imagine how they’d look against his fair complexion. A winter wedding was something he always thought would be nice. 

For all the weddings he crafted in his mind, he never managed to make his groom take shape. No, when he thought of his wedding, the man waiting for him at the end of the aisle—because at fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, Kurt had been forced into a box by the ignorance of a small, hateful town and he couldn’t imagine anything other than walking down the aisle—, the man he would be marrying, never looked like anyone. The man waiting for him was always generic, a cake topper of a groom that Kurt, able to think about the smallest of details in technicolour, could never picture. 

What he realized, when planning his  _ actual  _ wedding, was that he hadn’t  _ needed _ the extravagances he’d wanted as a teenager, not when he had a groom. He didn’t need doves or pearl-topped centrepieces. He didn’t need a veil or a statement piece attached to his jacket. In fact, he hadn’t needed anything other than Walter. 

So, it was small. Walter’s ex-wife and their children, Kurt’s parents, and no Blaine. They saved a seat for Finn that they kept empty, right at the front. He would’ve been Kurt’s best man and in the end, Kurt decided not to have one. Burt created a platform out of wood for them to stand on, putting them a few inches above everyone that sat in simple, white wooden chairs they used to shape an aisle they walked down together.

Their ceremony was simple. They didn’t need a long, simpering speech about love and devotion. No, they’d never needed words to know how much they loved each other, and they didn’t need them now. There’d been a number of debates about vows; Walter wanted to write his own speech, something he hadn’t done during his first marriage, and Kurt would have preferred something scripted for him. He was a writer, sure, but whenever he thought about putting into words the amazing, wonderful man he was going to spend his life with, he was nothing but overwhelmed. 

In the end, he decided on something short and sweet. He and Walter showed each other they loved one another every day, in every action they took; they didn’t need to put it into words for the benefit of others. 

Kurt prepared one sentence. Short. Simple. A vow in every sense of the word, and he whispered through dry lips in a hoarse voice, “You are the best part of me, my love, and I vow to show you that every day for the rest of our lives.” 

Kurt realized he was crying when Walter’s hand came to his cheek to wipe the trail of tears away, their lips pressed together sweetly, chastely, a perfect kiss at the altar. There were a few scolding laughs at their kiss, but quickly they were back on track. Walter said his vows back, eloquently expressing his emotions in a way Kurt found he wasn’t able to, not really, and kept crying through a smile so wide it made his face ache. 

When he was told to, Kurt leaned in, pressed chapped lips to chapped lips and heard his loved one's cheer, tasted salt against his tongue as he tipped his head back, and felt like the luckiest man in the world. 

**Author's Note:**

> come say hi to me on [tumblr](https://lavender-lotion.tumblr.com/)!
> 
> kudos are much appreciated, but things have been really difficult lately, and a comment, as short and sweet or as sprawling and sporadic as you can manage, would be _greatly_ appreciated!


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